Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00418

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00418

This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G23AS00418) is a discretionary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) award issued by the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) as a cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. It sits in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808) and is specifically routed through the Desert Southwest CESU (#160). The main purpose is to support applied research that strengthens how landcover and vegetation map classes are defined and monitored across the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, using measurable differences in plant phenology and ecohydrology to make those classes more meaningful for conservation planning and on-the-ground management.

The project focus is the transborder region that corresponds to Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 33, spanning parts of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. USGS is looking for work that brings together bioclimatic and ecohydrological datasets to improve or refine map classes by distinguishing vegetation species and landcover types based on seasonal behavior and water-use signals. In practical terms, the research is expected to leverage satellite imagery and related remote-sensing products to quantify ecosystem change over time, capturing both natural shifts and human-driven landcover changes. Two headline metrics called out in the announcement are greenup (the timing and intensity of vegetation greening through the year) and evapotranspiration (water loss from land and plants to the atmosphere), with the goal of measuring changes in these indicators across on the order of a hundred different map classes distributed along the borderlands.

The intended outcome is better decision support for conservation planning and management in a region where ecosystems are highly variable, water-limited, and sensitive to climate and land-use pressures. By tying map classes to observable phenological patterns and ecohydrologic behavior, the work would help managers differentiate similar-looking landscapes that function differently, track where vegetation dynamics are shifting, and identify areas experiencing notable change that may warrant attention, restoration, or adjusted management strategies. Because this is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, it also signals an expectation of substantial involvement by USGS during the project, such as collaboration on study design, data selection, analytical approach, interpretation, and delivery of usable products.

Eligibility is limited to applicants that are official participating partners in the Desert Southwest CESU Program. In other words, the award is not open to the general public or organizations outside that CESU network. The posted award ceiling is $16,768, and the original closing date listed for applications was July 21, 2023, with the opportunity created on June 13, 2023.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $16,768.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00418

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